Betrayed By The Billionaire

75

The convoy moved forward, but the air inside the Maybach was suffocating. Liam Martin’s eyes were locked on the retreating chrome of the Rolls-Royce. "Follow them," he barked.

Leo stiffened, his voice low and vibrating with suppressed anger. "Liam, think about what you’re doing. This isn't like you."

Leo wasn't just a driver; he was Liam’s childhood friend and most trusted confidant. They had bled and built an empire together. Usually, Liam valued his counsel above all else, but right now, obsession had overridden logic. "I said follow them!"

Leo gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, but eventually, he pulled into the lane behind the Rolls-Royce.

Inside the lead car, Xavier noticed the tail almost immediately. He didn't signal his security to intercept or run them off the road. His philosophy was simple: if someone wanted to watch his life, he would give them a front-row seat to their own misery. He glanced at Chloe, who was blissfully unaware, her face still glowing with the prospect of going home. His expression remained unreadable, but a layer of frost settled over his features.

The Arrival at the Bishop Estate

Nanny White had arrived ahead of them. He stood outside the iron gates of the Bishop estate, holding Liam Jr. in his arms. The moment Chloe stepped out of the car, the little boy wriggled free and ran toward her, his chubby hands reaching up.

Chloe scooped him up with a joyous laugh, pressing a warm kiss to his soft cheek. Xavier stepped out a moment later, and Mrs. Bishop hurried out to greet them with a radiant, welcoming smile. To any passerby, they looked like a picture-perfect, high-society family returning home.

Watching from the shadows of the Maybach across the street, Liam felt as if a massive boulder had been dropped onto his chest. Every breath was a struggle. Beside him, Leo said nothing, simply lighting one cigarette after another.

By the time Leo finished his sixth cigarette, the front door of the Bishop mansion had long since closed.

"Let’s go," Liam whispered, his voice hollow.

The Martin Residence: A Different Kind of Cold

When they returned to the Martin villa, Sara came running out to meet them, her face bright with a smile as she threw her arms around Liam. "Liam! You’re finally home!"

Liam looked at her—at the delicate, pure beauty of her face—and involuntarily, his mind flashed back to the image of Chloe sitting next to Xavier, her expression flushed and "claimed." He fought to shove the thought down, reaching out to stroke Sara’s hair. "You just got out of the hospital. Don't run so fast."

Sara leaned into his touch, her eyes misty. "I'll listen to whatever you say, Liam."

Leo chimed in with a dry attempt at humor. "She missed you so much she didn't even see her own brother standing here."

"Leo!" Sara teased, blushing.

The servants watched the trio enter—Liam holding Sara’s hand, Leo walking beside them—with a mix of envy and awe. They whispered about how Sara must have "saved the galaxy" in a past life to be cherished like a princess by the city's most eligible bachelor.

But the fairy tale hit a wall the moment they entered the grand parlor. Madam Martin, Liam’s grandmother, was waiting.

The old woman was thin, her features sharp and etched with a habitual bitterness. Liam had called her the moment he returned to the country, asking her to preside over the wedding preparations, and she had arrived today. Because of the long-standing friction between Liam and his late father, the relationship between him and his grandmother was distant at best. She didn't care for him, but she relied on his wealth.

She spared a single, cutting glance at Sara before letting out a cold, sharp laugh. "Well, Liam... it seems you’ve thrown away a watermelon only to pick up a sesame seed. Your eye for 'quality' is truly something else."

The color drained from Leo’s face. The insult was surgical—a direct jab at Liam for trading the "First Socialite" Chloe Bishop for someone whose background, grace, and stature couldn't even begin to compare.

To say it in front of Sara was nothing short of venomous.

Liam and Leo both turned to Sara. She stood there, deathly pale, her lips trembling as she bit back a sob. She looked like a fragile reed about to snap under the weight of the old woman’s disdain.